10 Animated Movies That Should Have Won The Oscar For Best Animation (But Didn't Because The Award Didn't Exist Yet)

The Iron Giant is neither a Disney film nor a Studio Ghibli creation but is every bit as good as any of the films they have ever produced. It was made by Warner Brothers and directed by Brad Bird, who'd later go on to work for Pixar and create The Incredibles as well as Ratatouille (winning two Oscars along the way).

The Iron Giant wasn't a hit upon its release and failed to make back its budget. That being said, when the reviews came in, they came in strongly, calling it a phenomenal film and one of the best of the year.

The story does not follow the original book closely and could be better called a loose adaptation. Following the activities of a boy called Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) as well as his Mother Annie (Jennifer Aniston), and a junkyard owner called Dean (Harry Connick Jr), the film concentrates on how Hogarth befriends the Iron Giant and teaches him about the value of human life.

Frankly, The Iron Giant has Oscar-winning movie all over it and is only unfortunate in the sense that the Academy had no animated category yet because it won a slew of awards from other organisations. It has since become one of the most beloved animated movies of all time and widely praised for its visceral storytelling.

If you don't cry upon the film's devastating third act, then you just plain have no soul.